Profile

Education: In 2013, I received my Ph.D. in the Medical Humanities from the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch where I specialized in medical ethics and the history of medicine. Prior to doctoral studies, I completed a Master of Public Health at the Uniformed Services University where I focused my final project and practicum on the topic of public health ethics.

Research: My doctoral dissertation, “Moral Dilemmas in Military Medicine: a historico-ethical analysis of the problem of dual loyalties and medical civilian assistance programs in the U.S. Army,” examined military missions where uniformed medical service-members provide medical care to local civilian populations with the aim of achieving strategic goals. This research analyzed the two largest formalized programs used by the U.S. Army (MEDCAPs and MEDRETEs), demonstrating that these missions present many ethical dilemmas to the physician-soldiers who participate in them. To date, this research has been published in a number of journals including a 2015 article in Ethics and Armed Forces (EAF) and a 2014 article in Medical Corps International Forum (MCIF). This research has also been presented as invited talks at the National University of Singapore, the Center for the Study of Bioethics at the University of Belgrade in Serbia and the International Committee of Military Medicine’s (ICMM) Workshop on Military Medical Ethics. Additionally, this research has formed the basis of paper and panel presentations at both national and international conferences.

My next research project will examine Medical Civic Action Programs (and similar missions) as employed by the U.S. military and its allies during the contemporary conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Comparative analysis will also be drawn between military programs and long-standing civilian programs within the international context. This next research project will identify and examine the ethical dilemmas present in contemporary missions, discussing recurring themes throughout history as well as any new or novel ethical dilemmas arising in modern conflicts.

Teaching: I have developed syllabi and taught courses in general ethics, and medical ethics, as well as specialized topics such as contemporary sexual ethics and medical ethics in war/armed conflict. While pursuing my doctoral studies, I began teaching medical ethics with the University of Texas Medical Branch and introductory ethics at St. Mary’s University. Since completing my doctorate, I have had the opportunity to teach and mentor military service members and their families with the University of Maryland University College. More recently, I have gained experience in providing distance/online education in the medical humanities with California State University East Bay. Additionally, I have been an instructor with Yale University’s Summer Institute in Bioethics for the past two years.

My pedagogy is founded on three main components: research, engagement, and mentorship. I strive to promote not only an understanding of ethical theories, concepts, and contemporary issues but also individual development and introspection. To this end, I design courses in ethics that engage students by relating concepts to their lives in practical ways such as connecting current events or political issues to the ethical concepts we are examining. In line with the value I place on mentorship, I have worked individually with students to cultivate their philosophical skill, developing argumentation and editing papers. In some cases, student mentorship has led to further collaboration and even publication.